XINDAK Muse Deluxe 1.0 CD
Digital sources
They advance fast in the 'land of tyger' so it is not surprise that also hi-fi brands like Xindak have already built credibility. Xindak does not try to copy others and since 1988 when the company was established it has earned good reputation.
Function and form
The design of the Muse Deluxe is all aluminum and very industrial looking. The panels are in natural Al shade the rest is blueish elox which looks pretty cool. There is a fluorescent blue-green display behind a black glass window - the display is dimmable in 3 steps, you can switch it off completely too.
There is also a tube in the output stage of the Muse Deluxe 1.0 (one 6922 triode) that - according to the manual - makes sound sweet and beautiful. The Analog Devices Delta Digital converter upsamples the digital signal to 24bit/192kHz. The transport is an assembly of Sanyo's optic and Philips's transport which is quite unusual.
The player can be controlled with the help of small push butttons on its fascia but it is better to used the remote that is provided with the device.
Bass management
To power the Muse Deluxe up you need to find the rocker switch - it is on the rear panel. The front panel's sleep button dos exactly what it say - the players gets to stand by and to wake it up one needs to wait until the tube heats up (there is a nice countdown sequence on the Xindak's display that informs you about the progress).
I liked very much one quite unconventional feature - by pushing a 'secret' button combination the player tells you how many hours it has been used. The review sample showed 124 audiohours. This type of info is extremely useful to know if the tube needs replacement or not.
Clarity & delicacy
The Xindak exhibited in an intimate recording of Pinetop Perkins Born in The Delta - the soundstage was studio-like, the piano was very present and the vocal (Perkins was 83 in the time of the recording) very natural. I used the Muse Deluxe with Xindak''s XA-6950 amplifier and the combo was pleasantly strong in all important midrage with warm and round bass and silky highs.
Tonal accuracy
I liked the dynamics of drums in the notoriously famous opening of Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra (The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra with Zubin Mehta in K2HD masteringu) . Also the horn fanfare was like a blazing knife cutting through the organ crescendo. The Muse Deluxe was also capable of sufficient resolution - the cello tremolo was spatially complex and texturally right.
Spatial resolution
I mentioned that the Muse Deluxe 1.0's output stage features the tube, however, the tube is attached to only one pair of RCA outputs. The other pair of the RCA outputs does not have any tube in the signal path so one may choose if he prefers listening to the 'tubed' or 'untubed' sound just by connecting the cables to the preferred output cinches.
The contrast of a crystal clear piano of Dick Hyman warmed by a double-bass and Bucky Pizzarelli's unamplified guitar in Topsy (Reference Recordings) made nicely balanced swinging sound through the Muse Deluxe's "Coaxial 1" outputs.
The other pair of the RCAs, marked as "Coaxial 2" is the one with the triode. The difference between both outputs is not big and I could easily live with either, however the Coaxila 2 presents the music as if it was less mechanic, more spontaneous and more human. The wood is woodier, metal more metallic and a string is resonating a split second longer.
Recommended resellers
HTP s.r.o., tel: +420 606346822, +420 222715959
Manufacturer's website: http://www.xindak.com
Associated components
- Sources: Luxman D-06
- Amplifiers: Xindak XA-6950
- Interconnect and speaker cables: Nordost Heimdall (XLR), Monster Cable Interlink 300 (RCA)
- Loudspeakers: Audio Physic Virgo V
- Power conditioning: Nordost Thor (modifikace), Quantum Resonant Technology EMF Stabilizer, Nordost Valhalla
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